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Ageless Fogerty conjures up bayous on Lebreton

Welcome to 1969. Time travel courtesy of John Fogerty, the heart and soul of one of the most popular bands — albeit briefly — of that era, Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Even though they came from California, CCR parlayed Southern rock songs about bayous and the Big Muddy into record sales that now top 26 million. In 1969 they had three top 10 albums — Bayou Country, Green River and Willie and the Poor Boys — and four hit singles.

There wasn’t much fancy about a CCR hit. Simple, homespun lyrics, a great beat and flashy guitar work and vocals from John Fogerty was their recipe for success.

When the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the citation credited CCR with defining the words "roots rock," and for being “the standard-bearers and foremost celebrants of homegrown American music."

Creedence Clearwater Revival packed a lot of success from the late 1960s into the early 1970s, but by late 1972 they had broken up in acrimony over money and control over the music the band produced. Fogerty has been in a long running feud with his former bandmates and even fought and won a protracted legal battle with his former manager, who accused Fogerty of copying one of his own songs.